by Lizzie Shane
Luckily Astrid seemed oblivious. Thank God.
The last thing he needed was to be spotted with Ally and fan the flames of the gossip, but Astrid and Kimber had asked if they could ride with the dogs on the Furry Friends float instead of on the Pine Hollow Elementary float, so he was going to have to be seen with Ally at least long enough to drop his niece off.
Astrid and Kimber had helped decorate the shelter’s old pickup until it was dripping with Christmas cheer—and Astrid shrieked when she saw it, lined up near the back.
“It looks so good!”
Kimber was already there, and Astrid raced over to greet her friend and the dogs, tumbling around with them behind the back of the truck.
“I’ll pick you up right here after,” Ben called to Astrid, eager to make his escape before Ally appeared and the gossip exploded.
“You aren’t riding with us?”
Too late.
Ben turned to face Ally as fifty pounds of bulldog planted itself on his foot, leaning against his shins. “Hello, Partridge.”
Ally stood a few feet away from him, smiling—and his brain kicked into fight-or-flight overdrive. Was she standing too close? Smiling too much? Was that why the entire town thought they were together? Was she smiling with intent? Did she think they were together? She looked adorable in her purple coat and white scarf—just like the first time he’d seen her, and that night he’d walked her home in the snow—but just because he always remembered what she was wearing didn’t mean he had feelings for her. He didn’t have room in his life to have feelings for her, no matter what his poker buddies and half the freaking town might think.
“Ben?”
“No,” he blurted, realizing he’d missed a question. “No, I figured—uh—I figured the bed of the pickup would be too crowded with all the dogs and you and your grandparents and the girls.”
“Well, Gramps is driving, and I think only Gram is going to be riding in the bed. The rest of us are walking alongside with the dogs so the crowds get a closer look at our adoptable wares. And when the dogs get tired—or the girls get tired—they can ride in the truck with Gram until they get a second wind. So there’s plenty of space if you don’t mind a very slow walk through town.”
“No, I, uh, already told Levi I’d watch the parade with him.”
It was a lie, but she smiled. “Oh, well. Maybe next time. My grandparents are determined to make this a yearly event for the shelter if we can somehow keep our funding going.”
Ben frowned. He would have expected her to have one foot out the door already. He’d known it was inconvenient to have to place all the dogs so quickly, but he hadn’t realized they were trying to keep the shelter open. “You’re looking for more funding?”
“We’re looking everywhere we can think. We have a GoFundMe page, and Gramps and I have been filling out grant applications every spare minute. I’m not going down without a fight.”
“I would’ve thought you’d be impatient to get back to your life.”
Her brow furrowed, but before she could reply a shout interrupted them.
“Ally! We have a problem!” It was Deenie’s voice, and Ally grimaced.
“Duty calls. We’ll see you after the parade—unless you’ve changed your mind?”
“No, I…Levi, you know.”
“Right. Have fun! Wave to us! C’mon, Partridge!” And then she was gone, taking the fifty-pound bulldog with her, off to deal with whatever last-minute catastrophe had befallen the Furry Friends float.
Now he just had to find Levi and convince him to watch the parade.
It felt weird, walking away from the float. But that was just because Astrid was there. It wasn’t like he belonged there. He was only helping out because he felt guilty. Not because seeing Ally was the best part of his day.
A yearly event…
Was she really thinking of staying?
He hadn’t even considered she might stick around—which, if he was honest, was probably why it felt so easy talking to her about his inadequacies as a parental figure. She was temporary, and when she left she could take all his secret insecurities with her. But if she stayed…
God, the rumors would be impossible. Everyone would think she was staying for him. The town would have them married by Valentine’s Day. Just what he needed.
He was halfway to the town square that was the middle of the parade route before he remembered he needed to be looking for Levi.
“Ben!” Delia waved him over, and Ben waved back, climbing to the top of the stands where the mayor and her wife would be watching the parade, along with several of the town councilors and their families.
Ben greeted everyone in a quick round robin of Merry Christmases, making his way to Delia’s side. “Have you seen Levi?” he asked after the pleasantries were accomplished. “I’m supposed to watch the parade with him.” Even if he doesn’t know it.
Delia frowned. “Levi Jackson? Isn’t he driving Santa’s car this year?”
“Right.” Damn it. “I must have misunderstood.”
“Watch right here.” She patted the bench at her side. “I want to talk to you about something, and the show’s about to start anyway. Hold on while I get this sucker rolling.”
Delia clattered up to the top of the stands, where a podium with a microphone waited. She made a quick speech, welcoming everyone to the fifty-third annual Pine Hollow Christmas parade, and then declared it officially open, her voice booming across the square. A cheer went up—and the high school marching band began to play a ragged rendition of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” as they marched into the square.
The Pine Hollow Christmas parade was no Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. There weren’t any balloons, and the floats were all low budget—but the cheers were just as loud. This year’s Miss Teen Maple Syrup rode through town behind the marching band, perched on the back seat of a shiny red convertible. She was trailed by a float from the local dentist, who was—rather incongruously, in Ben’s opinion—throwing candy canes to the crowd. He wanted to text Ally about it—and then kicked himself for the impulse.
No wonder half the town thought they were dating.
The dentist was followed by a float from Summerland Estates—the only group likely not to be bothered by the roar of the local Harley Club that rumbled down the street behind them. There was a float from the ski resort, another pageant queen, and then the middle school band struggling through a valiant attempt at “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.”
Then came the Furry Friends float.
The old green pickup had never looked better, draped in garland and a giant Furry Friends banner. Hal sat in the driver’s seat, wearing a Santa hat and waving out the window as the truck rolled slowly down the street. Rita perched in the truck bed like one of the pageant queens, beaming and waving and lifting the paw of the little chihuahua she held so he could wave, too.
There were a couple of other dogs in the bed of the truck, including Partridge, who had apparently reached his endurance limit for the day before they got to the square, but Astrid, Ally, Deenie, and Kimber walked alongside with a dog each. The girls looked so proud. Deenie had worn elf ears and glitter and worked the crowd like a pro, but it was Ally he couldn’t stop looking at.
She was smiling shyly and waving at the crowd, the city girl who was uncomfortable at the center of attention but loved being part of it all. There were so many contradictions in her, and he found himself trying to puzzle them all out. She seemed so hungry for community but so nervous whenever they were at the town events. She told him he was too hard on himself, but she never gave herself a break, constantly doing things for her grandparents and the shelter and him—always putting her own needs last. She needed someone to tell her to slow down. She needed—
“So you and the dog lady, huh?”
Ben’s attention snapped to the left, where Delia was watching him with a smug little smile. “Not you, too. This town is ridiculous. We’re friends.”
�
�Uh-huh,” Delia agreed, still smiling. She craned her neck to watch the Furry Friends float move around the corner. “She seems nice. Good with Astrid.”
“She is. Very. And also going back to New York.” He hadn’t dated anyone since Isabelle left—and he wasn’t about to start thinking that way now. Especially not with someone who wasn’t sticking around. No matter what the town thought.
“That’s a shame. You two would have been cute together. Davis heard she was a big-shot photographer and wanted to see if she’d be interested in snapping a few shots for the tourism website.” They both applauded as the bakery float appeared.
The bakery float was always one of the biggest in the parade, thanks to Mac and Magda’s ongoing cake feud, which had now spilled over into all aspects of town life. The Cup’s float was bound to be just as spectacular.
“Did you think any more about that mayoral run?” Delia asked, her voice deceptively light. “The election isn’t until March, but you need to file the candidacy paperwork by the end of the year…”
Ben groaned. At least now he knew why she’d wanted him to sit next to her. “Delia, I’m not running for mayor. I don’t need the headaches, and no one would vote for me anyway. I’m the most despised member of the council.”
She turned to face him fully, forgetting about the ongoing parade. “Why on earth would you say that?”
His eyebrows popped up, surprised by her surprise. “I’m the one who gets yelled at in line at the Cup because we won’t raise the budget for the tree lighting. And I’m the IT guy for the town, so I can see who is getting the most complaint emails of anyone on the council, and it isn’t you, and it isn’t anyone else. It’s me.”
“Which means people think you’re listening. Because you are. Half the members of the council will never change their minds about anything, so why waste time bugging them at the Cup or writing out long thoughtful emails they’ll never read? You read them. You pay attention.”
“I’m the town Grinch.”
Delia laughed. “Ben West, if you’re the Grinch, you’re the Grinch after his heart grows three sizes. You can be as gruff as you want on the outside. We all know you’ve got a gooey center. Anyone who’s ever seen you with Astrid can see that.”
It sounded nice, but he didn’t believe a word of it. “You can’t flatter me into running for mayor, Delia.”
“I’m not flattering you. But if you really don’t want to do it, I’ll let it go. Even if you would be the best.”
He eyed her. “You aren’t going to let it go.”
She grinned, unashamed. “Probably not. Though I will drop it for now—after I leave you with one last thought. If you don’t do it, think of who will and how much it will annoy you to watch them do it wrong for a four-year term.”
Ben shook his head. “You’re evil.”
“I get the job done.”
“We should just vote to remove term limits and let you keep going.”
“Nah. Margaret’s ready for me to be home more. And I’ve been promising her a trip to Europe for two years now. Time to pass the torch.” She nudged him with her elbow. “Just think about it. You’d be a good mayor.”
“I’d rather be the town Grinch.”
She laughed and they both turned back to watching the parade, but her words kept shifting around in his brain, just like she’d intended them to. Machiavellian, his boss. But maybe she wasn’t entirely wrong…about more than just the mayor’s position.
Chapter Twenty-Three
By the time the parade ended, Ally’s feet were aching and she was no closer to figuring out whether Ben thought they were dating. Not that she’d been obsessing about it as she walked. Much.
She’d been pretty good at putting him out of her mind until Astrid had come right out and asked her, “Are you dating Uncle Ben?”
They’d been walking along beside the Furry Friends float, and Ally had nearly tripped over her own feet. She’d stammered something about the two of them being just friends, which she really hoped was believable, because even if there was something starting with Ben, it wasn’t her place to talk to Astrid about it, and she certainly wasn’t going to talk to Ben’s niece before she talked to him.
But the conversation hadn’t helped the whole put-it-out-of-her-mind plan. Especially when Astrid kept hinting that if they wanted to date, she’d be totally fine with that. Luckily, Astrid was easily distracted by the dogs.
Ally felt awkward walking in the parade, an imposter waving to all the townspeople who were probably wondering who the heck she was and what she was doing there, but she focused on the dogs and on Astrid and Kimber, and before she knew it the parade was over.
The breakdown area was a madhouse, with marching band members running in every direction, so Ally texted Ben and Kimber’s mom that she would bring the girls back to the town square and meet them at the gazebo.
Astrid and Kimber walked two steps in front of her, whispering excitedly to each other the whole way. The square was still crowded, but at least there weren’t dozens of teenagers running into one another with brass instruments. Ally didn’t immediately spot Ben, and she followed Kimber and Astrid up into the gazebo.
“Over here, Ally,” Astrid urged. “We can see best from right here.”
Ally moved where Astrid indicated, looking over the railing, but she still didn’t see Ben.
“There are my parents.” Kimber waved, but made no move to join her mom and dad, who waved back and continued their conversation with a couple Ally didn’t recognize.
“Where’s Uncle Ben?” Astrid asked, bouncing with impatience, as if she suddenly couldn’t wait to get home.
“He’ll be here,” Kimber assured her, and Ally frowned at the odd interaction—then she saw Ben weaving his way through the townspeople, half-jogging as he crossed the square.
“Sorry. I was halfway to the diner when I saw your text,” he explained, trotting up the gazebo steps.
“Oh, sorry.” Ally started to move away from the rail to meet him, but Kimber was suddenly blocking her way. “I just figured it would be easier to meet here.”
“No, this is great.” He was breathless and smiling as he clapped a hand on Astrid’s shoulder. “I forgot what a zoo breakdown is. You about ready to go, Astrid?”
“Can I spend the night at Kimber’s?”
His eyebrows popped up. “Has anyone asked Kimber’s parents?”
“We’ll ask now.” Astrid held up both hands in a stop sign when he would have turned to leave the gazebo. “You stay here. We’ll be right back.”
Ben frowned suspiciously, but he didn’t move as the two raced off. Ally leaned against the railing behind her. “They were really great during the parade.”
“I’m glad they didn’t give you any trouble.”
“They’re angels. Though I should probably warn you, Astrid was talking about coming to the shelter every day while school is out, and I’m pretty sure Gram invited her to help us with the pet fair at the Estates tomorrow.”
“Is that tomorrow?”
“Two o’clock.”
“I’m sure we can make that work. If you don’t mind having us underfoot…”
“Of course not. All help gratefully accepted.” She tamped down the smile that wanted to consume her face. “Everything okay with town business? It looked like you and the mayor were having a pretty serious conversation when we spotted you in the stands.”
Ben grimaced. “She wants me to run for mayor. Which is ridiculous. I don’t know why she picked me. I can’t be mayor.”
Ally cocked her head. “Why not?”
“I’m not…I don’t know, I’m not mayor material. I’m not…” He shrugged, folding his arms across his chest, the posture all defensive little boy. “Delia seems to think I’m this great person. Like I’m Bob Cratchit instead of Ebenezer Scrooge.”
“Ben…” Ally shook her head, baffled. Was that why he’d been so sensitive to the Scrooge jokes? Because he was scared it was true? Did he really not
see himself as a good person? “How many people are on the town council?”
“Six. Plus the mayor.”
“And how many of them are out at the shelter helping me and adding new features to the town newsletter to make sure my dogs find homes before the funding dries up?”
He shook his head. “You don’t understand. I was the swing vote. It was my call.”
“It doesn’t matter. You didn’t make it alone, but you were still the only one to show up. You’ve shown up for me. You show up for Astrid. You drive yourself crazy trying to show up for everyone in this town. So don’t be telling yourself you aren’t good enough to be mayor. You’re the best person I know.”
The words hung between them, more impassioned than she’d intended.
He was the best person she knew.
And she had feelings for him. A lot of feelings. Her crush had swollen until it pressed against the inside of her chest, making her breath go short.
“Look, you two! You’re under the mistletoe!”
Ally looked up at Astrid’s shout and there it was—the fateful sprig dangled right above where Astrid had coached her to stand. Ben looked up too, and Ally’s heart began to pound.
This was it. The moment of truth.
All he had to do was kiss her.
* * *
Ben stared up at the offending branch with the sinking feeling that he was the victim of a conspiracy.
He liked Ally. Everyone already seemed to think they were a couple, so it was easy to think maybe they should be. She was sweet and smart and fun to be with—and the lush curve of her lower lip made him think a thousand impure thoughts. Not that he needed to be thinking that way five feet away from his niece.
He didn’t need to be thinking any way five feet away from Astrid.
She was already attached. He wouldn’t be surprised if Astrid was pulling for them to fall for one another—probably picturing a house full of dogs. It was one thing to start a new relationship when it was just his heart on the line, but if Astrid got her hopes up, if Astrid loved her and then things fell apart with Ally down the road…if she moved back to New York…